There’s no denying that Star Wars is one of the foundational pillars of modern popular culture, but it wouldn’t exist without a hugely successful low-budget movie from the early ’70s. Later retconned to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the 1977 original was a breath of fresh air during a somewhat dour period of cinema history.
Star Wars combined sci-fi and fantasy like the classic serials of the ’30s and ’40s. However, it also introduced a world with complex lore and nearly endless opportunities for more storytelling. Audiences were quick to respond, and Star Wars made over $300 million domestically (via Box Office Mojo) or over a billion and a half after inflation.
The rest is history, and the franchise still flourishes today under the stewardship of Disney. George Lucas was the original brains behind the Star Wars empire, and it was his vision that made the galaxy far, far away possible. However, he entered the project with tons of leeway thanks to a mᴀssive financial success from only a few years earlier.
No one could have predicted just how big Star Wars would end up being, but the studio was willing to take a risk because of Lucas’ lofty name. In movies, finances are everything, and Lucas had proved right out the gate that he was a director who could deliver one box office hit after another.
American Graffiti Made $140 Million On A Tiny Budget
1973’s American Graffiti was a far cry from Lucas’ later cinematic output, but the coming-of-age classic is actually what started the director’s blockbuster run. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the movie is essentially a nostalgic love letter to the youths of many of the New Hollywood icons, complete with teeny-boppers, sock hops, and plenty of classic cars.
Mirroring the future reception to Star Wars, audiences flocked to see American Graffiti, and it soon became one of the most profitable movies of all time up to that point. The Numbers reports that the film was made for a measly $700,000 (or about $5 million today), and it went on to gross over $140 million (about a billion today).
Universal originally had plans to release American Graffiti as a TV movie (via Chicago Sun Times).
Those kinds of movies are exceedingly rare, but are always what studios are looking for. Since the movie’s budget was relatively small, it didn’t require much oversight from Universal, and was allowed to shine on its own. It was even more profitable than some films that earned more, largely because its costs were down all across the board.
American Graffiti’s Success Allowed George Lucas To Make Star Wars
It’s hard to imagine now, but Star Wars was a gamble back in the 1970s. Science fiction was still firmly seen as a B-movie genre, with studios unwilling to invest a lot of money in young filmmakers’ big ideas. Therefore, Lucas’ lofty vision for Star Wars was rejected by numerous studios before Twentieth Century-Fox picked it up in 1973.
Just a few months after the studio accepted the project, American Graffiti hit theaters and became a huge hit. Naturally, this changed Lucas’ standing, and his power to negotiate was increased. Nevertheless, Fox was still somewhat withholding in terms of budget, granting the film a decidedly stripped-down $11 million (or about $68 million today) according to Box Office Mojo.
Considering how notoriously difficult the production process was on Star Wars, it’s a wonder the film ever actually got made. Disagreements between Lucas and the studio were numerous, and budget overruns put the project at risk. However, Fox could always look back on American Graffiti with a glimmer of hope, knowing that Lucas could deliver similar success on Star Wars.
That’s not to say that anyone actually thought Star Wars was going to be a hit. No film had ever tried something so ambitious, and it isn’t hard to see how American Graffiti directly led to the latter franchise. If American Graffiti bombed on the heels of THX 1138, there’s no chance that Star Wars would be around today.
American Graffiti Is A Great Movie In Its Own Right
American Graffiti wasn’t a smash-hit in a vacuum, and there’s a reason it resonated so well with audiences. Besides the fact that nostalgia has always been a powerful motivator, the movie was also just a well-made story with plenty of heart and humor. Coming-of-age was a burgeoning genre, and American Graffiti helped establish many tropes.
There’s an exaggerated style to all the classic early ’60s elements, and American Graffiti is a larger-than-life experience that goes beyond reality. This is counterbalanced by very subtle moments that cut straight to the heart of the characters. Between silly escapades, there are legitimately thought-provoking scenes that have only gotten better in hindsight.
Even though it’s a tribute to a bygone era, it uses very modern storytelling techniques that eschew the conventional Hollywood structure. Star Wars will always be George Lucas’ lasting legacy, but he deserves a lot of credit for American Graffiti too. Both films changed the world in some way, but the former stands as a testament to the latter.
